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Handicapping the Major Democratic Presidential Players for 2008
by user Tylersalt This is a first attempt at something I'd like to continue doing throughout the campaign. It will be a little sparse for now, but will grow in the future. I'd love some comments! 3:2 -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) Senator Clinton is in the top spot for the moment due to her name recognition and war chest. The money she raised for her Senate "campaign" in 2006 (she was only nominally opposed) adds to an already sizeable campaign fund. It remains to be seen whether her move to the center in the Senate over the past few years will not only do enough to win over moderate voters who have a negative view of her in general, but also whether it will alienate the more liberal end of the party. 3:1 -- Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) Senator Obama has a lot of hype right now, and brings fresh ideas and hopeful, populist, bipartisan rhetoric to the campaign trail. His big weakness will be his relative inexperience, having not even completed a full term in the Senate. Could he be positioning himself for a vice-presidential nod? Maybe, but the fact is that he's popular enough to really make a run for the big chair. 5:1 -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson A late-comer (well, relatively, considering that it's Feburary *2007*) to the race, but a strong one nonetheless. Two main things going for the Governor are that being Hispanic could be a huge advantage, especially out West where Democrats *need* to be competitive/in control, and that governors generally have more success than legislators, due to a perceived distance from lobbying interests and more experience with working on the submission end of a budget. A personal fave, and definitely one to watch out for. Richardson/Obama? 6:1 -- Fmr. Senator John Edwards Edwards has been slowly building up support after his failed vice-presidential bid in 2004. Likeable and smart, but will the association with John Kerry and the 2004 campaign, still touchy subjects for some Democrats, hurt his chances? 10:1 -- Fmr. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack A potential dark horse candidate being a governor from a plains state. According to CNN http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/23/vilsack.2008/index.html, Tom Vilsack has dropped out of the race as of February 23, 2007 for financial reasons. 12:1 -- Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) Senator Biden stumbled right out of the gate with the "clean" snafu, and frankly, I'm not sure if he has enough name recognition to make a big push. 50:1 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) Less name recognition than Biden, another stodgy-looking white guy from New England. Not sure that the Democrats are going to make the same mistake twice (See Kerry, Senator John F.) 50,000,000:1 -- Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) To paraphrase Jon Stewart, I'm not sure America is ready for its first leprechaun president. __NOEDITSECTION__ Category: Opinions Category: Opinions by User Tylersalt Category: February 6, 2007 Category: Opinions Category: Democratic Opinions Category: Election 2008 Opinions Category: Hillary Clinton Opinions Category: Barack Obama Opinions Category: Bill Richardson Opinions Category: Joe Biden Opinions Category: Christopher Dodd Opinions Category: Dennis Kucinich Opinions From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki. From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki.